Buckle-strap belt

ABSTRACT

A simplified buckle from a single piece of wire formed into two proximal legs and a distal leg superadjacent to one of said proximal legs (the other proximal leg being remote) is disclosed. The distal leg is locked into engagement with the subjacent proximal leg by the a unique notch and bend arrangement while the remote distal leg permits permanent attachment to one end of a length of strapping material, the free end of the material adapted to lace the adjacent distal and proximal legs.

United States Patent 11 1 Catlos et a1.

1 1 Nov. 12, 1974 1 1 BUCKLE-STRAP BELT [75] Inventors: Peter V. Catlos; Gert Somann, both of Huron Park, Ontario, Canada [73] Assignee: Ferplas Industries Limited, Ontario,

Canada [22] Filed: Dec. 20, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 426,743

52 us. Cl. 24/200 51 lm. Cl A44b 11/04 [58] Field of Search 24/200, 74 A [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 348,100 8/1886 Beaudry 24/200 685,252 10/1901 Bugbee 24/200 875,102 12/1907 Peterson 24/200 Swafford 24/200 1,056,211 3/1913 Peterson 24/200 3,112,543 12/1963 Derrickson 24/200 3,624,868 12/1971 Somann 24/200 Primary ExaminerBernard A. Gelak Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Irvin A. Lavine [57] ABSTRACT A simplified buckle from a single piece of wire formed into two proximal legs and a distal leg superadjacent to one of said proximal legs (the other proximal leg being remote) is disclosed. The distal leg is locked into engagement with the subjacent proximal leg by the a unique notch and bend arrangement while the remote distal leg permits permanent attachment to one end of a length of strapping material, the free end of the material adapted to lace the adjacent distal and proximal legs.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEB NOV 12 mm FIG I 1 BUCKLE-STRAP BELT This invention relates to a simplified buckle construction. The invention also relates to the use of the buckle in association with strapping material wherein one end of the strapping material is secured to the buckle to form a buckle-strap belt, the free end of the strap being adapted to threadingly engage the buckle to thereby form a composite binding device.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a simplified construction of a buckle. It is also an object of the invention to provide acomposite binding device which can be readily utilized without any other component to bind a package, bale, box or bundle.

The invention therefore contemplates as an article of manufacture, a buckle comprising a single piece of wire formed as follows:

a. a first generally U-shaped portion'including a distal leg formedfrom one end of said single piece of wire, a first proximal leg and an interjoining bight including an interjoining bend extending between the bight and distal leg;

b. an essentially L-shaped member having one arm bendingly communicating into the first proximal leg, the other arm forming a second proximal leg extending into a doglegged portion to form a notch between the second proximal leg and doglegged portion, said interjoining bend disposed to extend across and snug to said notch.

The invention further contemplates, in combination with the buckle, a buckle-strap belt comprising the buckle and a length of strapping having one end attached to the proximal leg and a free end adapted for engagement over the distal leg and between the distal leg and the secondproximal leg. v I

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1. is a plan view of an embodiment of the buckle-strap belt of the invention laced with strapping.

FIG. 2 is a section through the buckle of FIG. 1 along line 22.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the buckle of FIG. 1, with lac- FIG. 4 is an end view of the buckle-strap belt along lines 4-4 of FIG. 1, with lacing removed.

Referring to FIG. 1 a buckle-strap belt comprising a simplified buckle and a length of belting 50 such as flexible flat strapping, with one end affixed to the buckle.

The buckle 20 is composed of a single piece of wire generally shaped into a distorted square. More particularly the buckle 20 includes a generally distorted U- shaped portion, 21 having essentially two spaced apart parallel legs, distal leg 22 and proximal leg 23 connected by an interjoining bight 24 having a straight piece 25 and a right angled bending portion (interjoining bend) 26 whereby the two parallel legs 22 and 23 are disposed in a first plane 30 (FIG. 2) while the interjoining bend 26 is disposed along an axis 33 intersecting the plane 30. The wire further extends into an L- shaped member wherein one arm 41 bendingly curves to extend into the (first) proximal leg 23 and the other into a second proximal leg 42. The second proximal leg 42 is composed of a straight piece 43 with the doglegged portion 44 at the terminal or free end thereof; that is, the second proximal leg 43 extends from the straight piece 43 through a bend 45, forming a notch 46, into the doglegged portion 44. The extent of notch 46 is preferably equal to the diameter of the wire of the buckle and as such the notch accommodates, in snug relationship, the interjoining bend 26 and hence lockingly engages the interjoining bend 26 to constrain the distal leg 22 in superadjacent relation to the second proximal leg 43. Careful review of the drawings will show that the first proximal leg 23 and the straight piece 25 of the bight 24 are in one plane (the plane of the paper FIG. 1) and the interjoining bend 26 protrudes from this plane (the surface of the paper) to dispose the distal leg 22 above the plane of the paper. Thus, the second proximal leg 43 while disposed above the plane and parallel to the plane is nevertheless subadjacent and parallel to the distal leg 22. The distal leg 22 preferably overlappingly extends along its length only partially over the second proximal leg 43, as shown. Further, the distal leg 22 should preferably extend over the arm 41 of the L-shaped member as at 28, so as to ensure that when the buckle is subjected to service stress, the distal leg' 22 will make contact with the arm 41 and the arm 41 will thereby constrain the distal leg 22 from further deforming movement.

In order to achieve the buckle-strap belt 10, beltin 50 is securely attached to the first proximate leg 23 by appropriate connection means 52. For example, if the belting 50 is composed of a non-metallic strapping such as plastic strapping or synthetic strapping the belt 50 may be connected to the first proximal leg 23 as by a heat seal between the overlap 51 and the belting 50, as is commonly known in the art. Alternatively, the overlap 51 may be stitched to the belting. The free end of the belting 50 is fed into the engagement of the distal leg 22 and second proximal leg 43 as more particularly illustrated by the arrows of FIG. 2. The free end 60 overlaps the belt 50 and tightenly circumscribes itself about the distal leg 22. Under tension, arrows of FIG. 3, the belting 50 is pulled and the free end 60 snugly engages and circumscribes itself about the second proximal leg 43 and the distal leg 22 to lock the fabric of the belting in between the proximal leg 43 and distal leg 22. During such service stresses, as has been earlier explained, the distal leg will migrate towards the second proximal leg 43 but will be stopped from'further deforming movement when the tip 28 of the distal leg 22 makes contact with the underlying arm 41.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. As an article of manufacture, a buckle comprising a single piece of wire formed as follows:

a. a first generzally U-shaped portion including a distal leg, a bight and a first proximal leg, a bend connecting one end of said distal leg to said bight, the distal leg opposite said bight terminating in a free end, said first proximal leg being adapted to be en gaged by a strap;

b. an essentially L-shaped member having one arm integrally joined by a bend to an end of said first proximal leg opposite said bight, said L-shaped member further comprising a second proximal leg joined by a bend to said first arm, said second proximal leg being in adjacent, parallel relationship to said distal leg, said second proximal leg at the end thereof opposite its connection with said first arm having a dog-legged portion generally parallel to 2. The article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the extent of the notch is equal to the thickness of the wire.

3. The article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the distal leg extends along its length in overlapping relationship with the second proximal leg.

4. The article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the distal leg extends over one arm of the L-shaped member at its bend into said second proximal leg. 

1. As an article of manufacture, a buckle comprising a single piece of wire formed as follows: a. a first generzally U-shaped portion including a distal leg, a bight and a first proximal leg, a bend connecting one end of said distal leg to said bight, the distal leg opposite said bight terminating in a free end, said first proximal leg being adapted to be engaged by a strap; b. an essentially L-shaped member having one arm integrally joined by a bend to an end of said first proximal leg opposite said bight, said L-shaped member further comprising a second proximal leg joined by a bend to said first arm, said second proximal leg being in adjacent, parallel relationship to said distal leg, said second proximal leg at the end thereof opposite its connection with said first arm having a dog-legged portion generally parallel to and offset from said second proximal leg and integrally connected thereto by a bend and thereby forming a notch, said doglegged portion extending substantially Across said bight to constrain said distal leg in said adjacent parallel relationship to said second proximal leg, said doglegged portion terminating in a free end, said bend between said distal leg and said bight being lockingly engaged by said notch; c. whereby the end portion of a strap can be locked between the distal leg and the second proximal leg.
 2. The article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the extent of the notch is equal to the thickness of the wire.
 3. The article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the distal leg extends along its length in overlapping relationship with the second proximal leg.
 4. The article as claimed in claim 1 wherein the distal leg extends over one arm of the L-shaped member at its bend into said second proximal leg. 